1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid sprinkling and spraying and more particularly to an aerosol valve assembly having an integral biasing spring.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From the first development in the aerosol industry, all manufacturers have desired to increase the reliability and to decrease cost of the aerosol containers and valves therefor in an effort to provide cheaper and more reliable products for the industry. It is the desire of all manufacturers to decrease the total number of parts of an aerosol valve and to design each part so that the part may be manufactured in a reliable and efficient manner. Additional expenses are incurred during the manufacturer of aerosol valves due to the assembly cost of the aerosol valves. Each aerosol valve must be individually assembled and tested prior to shipment to the purchaser. The elimination of one part of the aerosol valve not only eliminates the cost of fabrication of only part but also eliminates a step in the assembly process. This twofold advantage by the reduction of a part from an aerosol valve has influenced manufacturers to combine two separate parts into a single part.
Aerosol valves generally comprise a valve body and a valve stem sealer which is biased against a sealing gasket by a mechanical spring such as a coil spring and the like. Some in the prior art have attempted to eliminate the use of a coil spring by molding a plastic spring onto the valve stem sealer.
One example of the prior art attempting to utilize an integral spring is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,784 to M. E. Webster. Webster uses a plurality of fingers engaging a valve body for providing an upward bias to the valve stem for replacing a conventional coil spring. Unfortunately, the Webster patent does not enable a long longitudinal displacement of the valve stem as required by most vertical action valve assemblies. In Webster, the movement of the valve stem is extremely limited, thus limiting the application of the device to very specific types of valve namely a tilt valve.
Another prior art teaching of an integral valve and spring is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,609 to Amabili. This patent utilizes an integral plastic spring to replace a conventional coil spring but similarly requires a specially designed valve body for proper operation.
Another aerosol valve assembly incorporating an integral plastic spring is taught by William D. Milderd, U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,674. Milderd uses a valve body in concert with a valve stem to provide an internal bias to the valve. This patent has a similar defect as the aforementioned patents in that a specific valve body is required having a completely different configuration from conventionally used aerosol valve assemblies.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the aerosol valve art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly having an integral plastic spring which utilizes a valve body with only an internal modification therein thus making the aerosol valve compatible for use with conventional aerosol containers and mounting cups.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly for use with an aerosol container having an integral plastic spring wherein resilient means is provided between an internally modified valve body and a modified valve stem resulting in a valve assembly having an outward appearance identical to a conventional aerosol valve.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly for use with an aerosol container incorporating an integral plastic spring wherein the valve body includes a taper or a curved surface in an internal body cavity which surface forms an angular relationship relative to the axis of symmetry of the valve body.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly for use with an aerosol container having an integral plastic spring comprising a plurality of resilient legs disposed about the bottom portion of a valve stem sealer of the valve stem with the resilient legs having spaces therebetween for limiting the downward movement of the valve stem relative to the valve body.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly for use with an aerosol container having an integral plastic spring comprising a plurality of resilient legs for engagement with the taper or curved surface of the valve body thereby approximating the linearity and spring constant of a conventional coil spring.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol valve assembly for use with an aerosol container having an integral plastic spring which is suitable for use with either a vertical action valve or a tilt valve.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in combination with the accompanying drawings.